Chapter 187 – Demon King (2)

“It is a trap.”

Etna made the assertion.

“The Dungeon was made in a short amount of time, yet an unbelievable amount of work had been put into making it. Moreover, there is a message that only Artpe can see. It is clear who the Demon King is aiming for! That means the current Demon King has already….”

The Demon King had already awakened to the memories of his past life. Etna almost blurted those words out. She was barely able to swallow it. There were those in her present company that didn’t know about this fact. She exchanged glances with Artpe as they nodded their heads.

‘It might be like what happened to Etna. Some event might have triggered his awakening. It is a possibility. Or maybe, the current Demon King met one of the past Four Heavenly Kings after he fought the previous Demon King. He might have regained his Record through the Innate Ability called Record Keeping.’

This was very unlikely, but there was also the possibility that the current Demon King had regained his memories much faster than Artpe had realized. There was a scenario where the current Demon King had possessed his past life’s memories from the moment Artpe’s Rewrite ability had activated.

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‘No, that doesn’t make any sense. If the current Demon King remembered his past life, he wouldn’t have been pushed back so easily by the past Demon King. If he lost knowing about his past life, does that mean that the previous Demon King was that powerful?’

The previous hero possessed powerful magical energy, yet he wasn’t able to kill the past Demon King. He had been a powerful foe that had to be sealed. Maybe, the current Demon King couldn’t do anything despite knowing about the seal being broken. It was possible. The conflict between the current Demon King’s faction and the past Demon King’s faction might have started from the beginning.

However, the most important fact was that the current Demon King’s personality had remained the same. It was the one that Artpe knew. That meant….

“Let’s head in.”

After thinking over it for a long time, Artpe made the declaration. For a brief moment, his party members couldn’t process his words. They were frozen in place. Maetel let out a shout in dismay.

“Artpe!?”

“The bastard said it is the last recipe. It means we will become stronger if we enter that place.”

“Isn’t it a declaration saying that he’ll eat us after cooking us….?”

Elrick’s worry was well founded, but Artpe snorted as he shook his head from side to side.

“The only thing I’m worried about is the previous Demon King, since he is an unknown foe. I’m not afraid of the current Demon King. At our power level, we can take on the current Demon King. It’ll be a fair fight.”

At the very least, he wouldn’t have to sacrifice anyone even if they were on the defensive. They would be able to run away without losing anyone at their current power level. Etna also nodded her head.

“The Demon King can’t simply be judged using his level. Of course, that is true for this party too….. Still, we shouldn’t purposefully go into a trap prepared by an enemy.”

Usually, the hero charged towards danger. The hero was like a moth drawn to a flame. Up to that point, Artpe’s party had done well in deftly maneuvering through danger. Artpe let out a bitter laughter as he answered Etna’s questioning words.

“I thought about what the Demon King is thinking right now.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t he thinking about destroying the heroes?”

“No. He purposefully created the Dungeon on the road to the Demon King’s castle where only I could detect it. There is a barrier over it that won’t allow even the previous Demon King to detect it…. It makes me think that something else is going on.”

“Mmm······? Wait a moment. Are you trying to say the current Demon King doesn’t share the same goal as the past Demon King? Is that what you are trying to say?”

“Yes.”

The ruling power of the Demon realm had changed hand. Artpe had witnessed Petra working on behalf of the previous Demon King’s faction. He assumed that all of the Demon realm had fallen into the hands of previous Demon King. However, if he thought back on it, he couldn’t find proof that the current Demon King was a follower of the past Demon King.

Moreover, he had appeared in front of Artpe’s party by himself right now. The current Demon King had cut all ties with the previous Demon King’s faction, and he had deftly maneuvered to appear in front of Artpe’s party. The current Demon King was trying to focus the spotlight on himself.

If he just wanted to slaughter the hero’s party, he would have joined up with the previous Demon King. He went out of his way to make a splash by himself! He truly acted like the Demon King from Artpe’s memories.

‘The bastard is almost obsessed with the notion of controlling everything. That trait is oddly fused with the need to be an exhibitionist. Maybe, he……’

When Artpe was about to come to a conclusion, Silpennon suddenly spoke.

“Maybe, the current Demon King really doesn’t like what has transpired right now?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Silpennon had thought about his last moments. At the time, the Demon King had spoken these words.

[I never expected myself to be part of the stage.]

His voice had carried anger and annoyance that he couldn’t fully dictate the situation. Silpennon clearly remembered it.

[I do not welcome this. I do not welcome this. This isn’t fun at all.]

What else did he say? In Silpennon’s head, he heard the Demon King’s resolute declaration ring out once again. His words weren’t directed at him. It hadn’t been directed at Maetel either. Maybe, it was directed at himself. He might have been making a promise to himself.

[The degree of completion of this story is lacking. It’s a failure. The fact that I had to watch all of this up until now had been boring. Now I have to dance to the tune of someone else? I refuse to do that.]

Silpennon raised his head. There was only one conclusion he could make.

“This thought exercise is based on the assumption that the current Demon King is a complete psycho.”

“He is a complete psycho.”

“He called it the final recipe. Does it mean that he’ll sacrifice himself to make us stronger?”

“Mmm······.”

If it was a holy priest or a holy priestess, one might be able to believe a being was capable of such self-sacrifice. However, they were talking about the Demon King right now. When the other party members heard Silpennon’s words, they had an expression of slight disgust on their faces. Silpennon did his best to convince the others, who looked taken aback by his assertion.

“You should think hard on it. It is true that Artpe is such a cheat that everyone in this party grew at an unbelievably rate. However, you have to look at it from the perspective of the current Demon King. When the past Demon King and his forces appeared, the composition of the fight between the hero and the Demon King was flipped on its head. ”

“So what?”

“His stage was destroyed before the match could end. Then to add insult to injury, the current Demon King was weaker than the past Demon King, so he was pushed into playing a minor role. In such a situation, the only choice he could make…….”

Artpe spoke instead of Silpennon.

“He’ll help us grow more, so we’ll have a fighting chance against the previous Demon King? Is that what you want to say?”

“Moreover, he’ll even sacrifice himself to make this come true!”

“Ooh-mmmm. It is an idea that only a psycho could come up with.”

In the process of this plan, he would have to voluntarily give himself up. That part was psychotic. However, Artpe was having the same thought as Silpennon. Etna also wasn’t able to refute Silpennon’s words.

“Why!?”

“He’s just like that······.”

“That is why Demons are dangerous.”

When the party members developed an understanding, they nodded their head. Artpe once again double checked with his party members.

“If anyone wants to pull out right now, you can leave. However, I have to go in.”

Artpe had something he wanted to hear from the Demon King. If he was able to survive the meeting….. If he comes out alive from this, he will no longer be able to hide the information about his past life.

Artpe planted the seed of determination in himself as he let out a deep sigh.

No one dropped out.

“There is an incredible amount of Demonic energy here. I’ve never felt such pressure from a Demon before…..”

Artpe’s party was sensitive to Demonic energy, so their complexion turned pale as they got closer to the Dungeon. Only the expression of Artpe and Etna remained unchanged. In fact, Artpe looked disappointed.

‘His level is much lower than the past. That is to be expected. In his past life, the Demon King needed six years from this point on to reach his prime. Still, he probably awakened to his past life. How is it so low? This might be a bit troublesome.’

“Artpe, isn’t this a bit odd?”

“I think so too.”

“I can feel an excessive amount of strong beings in there.”

“What······?”

When Etna pointed it out, Artpe narrowed his eyes as he carefully looked over the Dungeon. He couldn’t see Record of beings that wasn’t in his field of vision.However, it was as Etna had said. He could sense numerous beings that were absurdly powerful. There were enough of them that they would be able to chew up and spit out all the Demons that had been dispatched to the human realm.

“You said the previous Demon King’s forces shouldn’t be here. Right, Artpe?”

“Yes, they aren’t.”

Artpe was baffled as he spoke.

“These are….. They are just monsters. These are the Demonic beasts that dwell at the heart of the Demon realm. That is why we’ve never come across them before”

“Nyaa? Nyaa-ah?”

Roa reacted. She was always energetic in the presence of Demonic energy. Artpe spoke as he stroked her head.

“I think you are right. The lowest level Demonic beasts are level 360….. Yes, this bastard really did prepare the last recipe for us.”

“Petra said he kept a low profile after losing to the previous Demon King. Maybe, he wasn’t with the previous Demon King that whole time. He might have traveled to the deepest part of the Demon world to gather the Demonic beasts.”

The hypothesis sounded plausible. Artpe was already sure it was true.

“Why are all Demons so crazy?”

Vadinet was sincere when she asked her question. Artpe just kept his mouth shut as he put on a benevolent smile. At that point, the Steel Horse landed on the ground.

“Are you sure we should go in like this?”

“It is like going into a region filled with trap, but you know the traps are there. Dont worry about it.”

“How can I not worry when I hear such words!”

When he confirmed everyone got off the Steel Horse, he put away the Steel Horse inside his Dimensional Pouch. Then he extended his Mana Strings, and he created a small opening in the barrier covering the entrance to the Dungeon. Maetel took the lead, and the rest of the party grumble as they followed her into the entrance.

“The Demon King’s presence….?”

“Far. He is always positions himself at the deepest part. He likes to wait as he observes his preys struggle.”

“As expected of the Demon King, he has an evil hobby.”

When they all entered the Dungeon, the reality started to set in. The Demon King was at the end of this Dungeon. Some bit their lips, and other clenched their fists. Some in the party smacked their lips.

“Hoo.”

“Kyahhhhk!”

Artpe used his Mana Strings to collapse the entrance. It would either be his party or the Demon King. The Dungeon wouldn’t open again unless one side was killed. On the other hand, Etna looked at the endless tunnel as she mumbled to herself.

“If he is the Demon King I know, he would have used a message spell as soon as we entered this place. He would have used that moment to try to show off.”

“I’ve already cut him off using my barrier. I’m sure he wants to provoke me.”

“As expected, Artpe is ready for everything.”

Artpe wordlessly bumped fists with Etna. The party looked at them oddly, but in the end, they gave up trying to decipher what was going on. At this point, they felt like idiots for being nervous.

“Let’s head in.”

“Ok.”

Maetel determinedly nodded her head as she unsheathed her sword. They had never fought together, but they were all experienced fighters that went through many Dungeons and battles. Their formation was flawless as they slowly started their advance.

It was the exploration of the last Dungeon.